Dan Danagher is Assistant Deputy Minister, International Platform Branch, Global Affairs Canada. Mr. Danagher started his career in a trade capacity at External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1983. He subsequently moved to Supply and Services Canada and the Canada Communication Group where he played key communications, procurement, and management roles in several high level projects including Canada’s pavilions at international expositions and the Washington DC chancery construction. In the early 2000s, Mr. Danagher returned to the international orbit as the Director of Government On-Line at Foreign Affairs and International Trade. After a DG assignment at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in 2005-06, he served for several years as the Executive Director of Compensation and Labour Relations at TBS, leading key pan-governmental policy and legislative changes. More recently, Mr. Danagher served at the ADM level in human resources at the Canada Revenue Agency and Public Works and Government Services Canada before rejoining Global Affairs Canada in July 2015 as the ADM of the International Platform Branch. Dan holds a B. Comm. (Carleton University) and an MBA (University of Ottawa).

Louis Poliquin’s career in public procurement spans 40 years. After 9 years in the Canadian government, he spread his wings and embraced an international career in this field. He is proud to be the only the only alien qualified to deliver procurement training to US federal employees .He practiced his specialty on numerous countries. Half of his time was spent abroad. He delivers training programs all over the world on all facets of procurement, especially contract negotiations. He is back in Ottawa since 2010 and is a regular instructor for the Algonquin College Corporate Training Center.

Session #2

Global Procurement Strategy for Vehicles at Missions - Collaboration with the U.K.

Josephine Dahan is the Director of Missions Procurement Operations (AAO) for Global Affairs Canada. She is a seasoned procurement expert in government with over 13 years of government procurement experience who started off her career at Canada Post in their procurement development program where she completed the Purchasing Management Association of Canada certification. She has worked in several departments and Crown corporations such as Canada Post Corporation (CPC), Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) now known as Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), and currently Global Affairs Canada (GAC), which has enabled her to develop an array of experiences and leverage best practices and lessons learned. She has significant experience in procuring large, complex, multi-year and multi-million dollar requirements for a large number of goods and services. Notably she has extensive experience in real property, transportation and logistics services, corporate programs such as Canada Post uniform program, customized software solutions, security guards, translation services, furniture (office and residential), training services, professional services and many more. In addition, she has extensive experience conducting commodity analysis, spend analysis and market research in develop strategic sourcing strategies within government. Furthermore, she also has several years of experience leading and developing procurement transformation initiatives.

Since 2014, Mr. Lyon has worked on a commodity project to put in place long term standing offers for the supply and delivery of fleet vehicles (on a regional basis) to Canada’s global diplomatic network. From 2010 to present, he has worked as a supply specialist with Global Affairs Canada primarily providing procurement and contracting support to Canada’s global diplomatic network. From 2006 to 2007, he was a supply officer at PWGSC within their Intern Officer Program, where he worked on both goods and services procurement. Mr. Lyon holds a Bachelor of Commerce (2006) from the University of Ottawa

Since 2016, Mr. Cardinal is the manager of Mission Procurement Operations at Global Affairs Canada. He is responsible for a team of 8 procurement specialists at various levels buying goods and services for 177 Canadian missions abroad in 109 countries. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Cardinal was a supply specialist for the Tank Replacement Project at the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). He was responsible for major long-term support contracts for Canada's Leopard 2 family of vehicles. From 2010 to 2013, he held various positions in procurement at PWGSC. As part of the Intern Officer Program, he has successfully completed six internships in various commodities such as professional services, military goods and real property services. From 2009 to 2010, he was a Business Information Officer at Industry Canada, where he responded to industry requests for grant programs for small and medium enterprises, trade data and federal incorporation. Mr. Cardinal holds a Bachelor of Commerce with specialization in International Management (2009) from the University of Ottawa.

Glenn is the Acting Director of Strategic Procurement Policy in the Office of the Comptroller General responsible for developing government-wide procurement policies. Glenn has over 35 years of experience in the federal government, the last 10 of which have been with the Treasury Board Secretariat. He was with the former Public Works and Government Services Canada for six years where he advised departments on the procurement aspects of some of Canada’s largest procurements, and before that he was with the Department of National Defence. Glenn is also a Professional Engineer.

Allison Christie is Manager, Real Property and Materiel Division of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector. She is responsible for the materiel management policy suite and the Acquired Services and Assets area of management for the Management Accountability Framework. She has been with the division since 2013. Prior to that, Allison managed the TBS Secretariat to the Secretary’s senior decision making committees. Before joining TBS, Allison worked on strategic policy and sustainable development at Natural Resources Canada for ten years.

Session #4

Things that Make You Go Hmmm: Tales from the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman

Lorenzo Ieraci, Interim Procurement Ombudsman

Lorenzo Ieraci was appointed as Interim Procurement Ombudsman effective May 9, 2016. His appointment is for one year or until a new Procurement Ombudsman is named. Lorenzo has been with the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) since January 2012 as the Deputy Procurement Ombudsman. In that role he was responsible for managing OPO's daily operations, which include reviewing supplier complaints regarding the award or administration of contracts, reviewing departmental procurement practices, providing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services, and responding to procurement-related inquiries. Lorenzo considers himself fortunate to be part of a team of dedicated employees who work with private sector suppliers and federal organizations to promote fairness, openness and transparency in federal procurement. Lorenzo holds a Master's degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University, and obtained an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the University of Windsor's Faculty of Law.

Session #5

Lean Procurement

Craig Szelestowski, President, Lean Agility Inc.

Craig Szelestowski is a Lean government and transformation specialist with close to two decades of experience implementing dramatic turnarounds in Canadian government. He started Lean Agility Inc. in 2010 to apply Lean exclusively to government organizations. With his coaching, his clients have reduced lead times by up to 80%, increased capacity by up to 200% and created outstanding levels of employee engagement. In his public service career, as Vice President of Human Resources, Lean and Quality, he lead the Royal Canadian Mint’s Lean transformation which helped move the organization through a challenging era of cutbacks and job losses into an extended period of financial and organizational health and stability. During his tenure, the Mint realized tens of millions of dollars of Lean improvements, dramatically reduced the time and effort to deliver its products and services, moving from a financial loss, to a profit of over $68 million. In terms of employee engagement, it improved from 100 grievances per year to 20 per year and was named by Maclean’s magazine as one of “Canada’s Top 100 Employers” from 2007 to 2010. Craig has led the development of Lean Agility’s training curriculum including: White, Yellow, Green and Black Belt Certification, Lean Document Creation and Approval, Results – Not Resistance, Lean Management Systems and Lean Strategic Planning and Deployment. He is widely regarded as one of Canada’s foremost experts on the application of Lean to both knowledge/project based work as well as to more transactional work such as permits and applications. Craig has served multiple times as a part-time professor at the Telfer School of Business at the University of Ottawa. He is currently the co-designer and instructor of Telfer’s White and Yellow Belt Lean Service programs, Lean Leadership program and also teaches Lean to Telfer’s MBA students. Craig offers his services in both of Canada’s official languages; he served as the Mint’s Official Languages Co-Champion from 2004 to 2010.

Session #6

Specialized Procurement at Global Affairs Canada in Support of Diplomacy and Security

Minh Khai Trinh has 17 years of professional experience in procurement policy, operations and transformation. As the director of Domestic Procurement Operations at GAC since 2013, Minh Khai currently leads a team mandated to provide procurement services to GAC and covering commodities such as IM/IT goods and services, domestic professional services, promotional items and security equipment. Prior to joining GAC, Minh Khai had worked with CIDA, DND and PWGSC where he had the opportunities to lead and be involved in major IM/IT procurement initiatives and Defence projects/programs including the CF-188, the Snowbirds and the ammunition programs. Minh Khai holds a science degree from l’Université de Montréal.

From 2009 to present, Mr. Montreuil has worked as a team lead with Global Affairs Canada primarily providing procurement of various goods such as audio visual equipment, furniture, promotional items and various items for the central stores. From 2003 to 2008 he was a procurement officer at Global Affairs Canada where he worked on goods procurement and material management of IM/IT product.

Donna Roman is the Interim Team Lead for IM/IT and Security Goods Procurement at Global Affairs Canada(GAC). Donna brings years of Federal Government Procurement experience working at the Department of National Defence putting in place and managing multi-year multi-million dollar contracts for the procurement of goods. Previously within private industry she managed all aspects of supply management operations including requirements, inventory, procurement and budget control for numerous companies.

David Abraha, CPA, CMA, specializes in federal procurement policy with over ten years’ experience in the field. He is a policy analyst within the Procurement Policy Division of the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada. He has been responsible for procurement policy development in subject matter involving the Management Accountability Framework, Aboriginal procurement, intellectual property rights, procurement reporting and open data. His recent work involves the transformation of procurement reporting into a machine-readable, open data format.

Lyndsay Rajaram is the manager of the Policy, Analysis and Reporting Unit in Material Management at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She has been with AAFC since 2006 spending her entire time within the Material Management division. She started working in procurement of goods and assets, then moved onto professional services contracting, and in 2015 assumed the role of manager in Policy. Currently she is responsible for departmental reporting obligations, implementing new initiatives such as the Integrity Regime and various other procurement related activities. In 2012 Lyndsay obtained her level 1 Certified Federal Specialist in Procurement.

Deborah Bellocchi-Covella is the Functional Analyst for the Procurement Policy Analysis and Reporting Unit at Natural Resources Canada. She has been with NRCan since 2009 where she started out as an Executive Assistant to the Associate Executive Director in the Shared Services Office. After three years of gaining extensive knowledge of NRCan’s client services she moved into her current role as Functional Analyst. She is currently responsible for departmental reporting obligations such as Access to Information, Parliamentary requests and Proactive Disclosure. Additionally, Deborah is responsible for liaising with stakeholders to ensure reporting data accuracy, developing and maintaining operating procedures, contributing to business process improvements and implementing new initiatives such as the Integrity Regime and various other procurement related actives. She performs quality control reviews on procurement related reports and files to ensure policy compliance as well as data accuracy and identifies and implements corrective actions as appropriate. In her role as the departmental subject matter expert in intergovernmental working groups (SAP Partner Forum – Material Management, and Open Government Working Group) relating to procurement reporting and business process improvements, Deborah was able to contribute to refining the new Proactive Disclosure of Contracting Data on the Open Government Portal. The creation of a working group with AAFC, DFO and CFIA has allowed her to build a great working relationship with these departments allowing them the opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing to adopt a more unified approach to procurement and reporting.

Tarigh Afrand is currently employed at AAFC as a System Analyst, responsible for managing and supporting the Material Management Module of SAP for the departments of AAFC, CFIA, NRCan and ECCC. Prior to this role, Tarigh provided contracting and procurement services to clients at various departments including AAFC, DRDC, NRCan, and HC. He has a Bachelor degree in Business with a specialization in e-Supply Chain Management and is also a certified SAP Solution Architect.

Alison Campbell was appointed Senior Director in November 2016 to the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Stakeholder Engagement (OSME – SE) which advocates on behalf of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and encourages their participation in federal government procurement. OSME – SE assists SMEs in better understanding how the government buys goods and services by raising awareness of opportunities and by providing free seminars. OSME – SE also strives to understand and reduce barriers and recommend improvements to the procurement tools and processes. As Senior Director, Alison’s roles and responsibilities include providing stakeholder engagement advisory services to facilitate engagement activities, providing secretariat support to the ADM lead Supplier Advisory Committee, providing oversight and consistency in program delivery through six regional offices and collecting business intelligence to help reduce barriers for SMEs in their pursuit to do business with the Government of Canada. Prior to assuming this role, Alison was Director, Corporate Management Division, Skills and Employment Branch at Employment and Social Development Canada, since 2014 where she led many departmental initiatives including the Post-Secondary Recruitment Campaign and the Indigenous Youth Summer Employment Opportunity.

Andrea Zervos joined the Supplier Engagement and Regional Consultations directorate of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises in March 2017. Andrea is responsible for leading engagement and consultation activities with the supplier community, as well as helping PSPC procurement professionals develop and implement industry engagement initiatives. Andrea also carries out the role of secretariat on behalf of the national Supplier Advisory Committee, a consultative body that aims to bring potential improvements to federal procurement. The committee is composed of a representative group of national industry associations, and is co-chaired by the Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement, PSPC, and a private sector co-chair. Prior to her role in supplier engagement, Andrea was a member of the Buyandsell.gc.ca digital team. Buyandsell.gc.ca hosts the federal tendering service, and other online procurement services including the Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements Application. From 2009, Andrea engaged and collaborated with multiple stakeholder groups to develop and implement information in support of Buyandsell.gc.ca online services.

Session #9

Introduction of the New Government of Canada Procurement Competency Dictionary

Martine Rack has been working as a Senior Advisor at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) since August 2014, where she has been applying her skills such as strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and instructional design to the priorities of the Acquired Services and Assets Sector Community Management Office (ASAS-CMO). After spending 11 years working in the private sector, Martine started her federal career in 2001 with the Department of National Defence where she worked in the fields of learning and professional development, organization development, transformational change management and business process management. Martine has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, has a Diploma in Adult Education from St Francis Xavier University, has certifications in Organization Development,Transformational Change, Process Mastery, and LEAN, and holds many qualifications in administering various psychometric tools. As part of her deliverables, Martine has been asked to review and revise the Government of Canada procurement competencies in order to have them more accurately reflect the procurement community’s current and future needs.

Session #10

Keynote Speaker Deep Service

Bill Carr, Communication Expert | Award-Winning Humourist

For over thirty years, Bill Carr has been making people laugh at what’s trivial while helping them think deeply about what counts. His unique blend of humour and insight inspires laughter and offers his audiences a fresh perspective on what they face every day. An award-winning journalist, actor, and humourist. Carr’s career has seen him perform on stages across the country most notably in Nova Scotia at Neptune Theatre, Mermaid Theatre and the Atlantic Theatre Festival. He has written and performed in numerous radio dramas and news programs for CBC and has appeared on countless television programs, several movies and more advertisements than he would care to think about. Carr is a dedicated volunteer and serves in various capacities for a number of good causes such as the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia, Community Justice Society, ACTRA, Unicef, Canadian Breast Cancer Society, CNIB, YMCA, and the Abilities Foundation. He is an honorary Trustee of the IWK Hospital for Children and helps to host the IWK Telethon each year. He is a founding partner of the Atlantic Restorative Company, a social entrepreneurship focused on creating space for authentic human exchange and the use of restorative practices in all aspects of social life.

Peter Norman Levesque, KSJ, MA, is a consultant and trainer based in Ottawa. He has twenty years of experience working with governments, research institutes, and professional associations on issues of knowledge mobilization. His career has included serving as Deputy-Director of Knowledge Products and Mobilization at SSHRC, as Knowledge Exchange Specialist at CHEO, and Chair of KM at Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. He serves on several boards of non-profit organizations and is President of the Institute for Knowledge Mobilization. Peter is an experienced and sought-after speaker, facilitator, and commentator on issues of education, research, knowledge, and social media.

Anne-Marie graduated from the College de l’Outaouais in 1993. She holds a three years diploma in Chemistry Analysis. After her graduation, she worked in high schools for seventeen years as a Laboratory Technician where she taught and helped teenagers in their sciences experiments and projects. Afterwards, she decided to join the government in 2010.

Anne-Marie has been a public servant for seven years. She is Acting Chief for the Inspection Standards and Safety Awareness Division, Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Directorate, at Transport Canada. Her team is responsible for the training of provincial and federal TDG inspectors, inspections standards and safety awareness to targeted audiences.

Jessica Sultan joined the Public Service in 2002 and since then has been recognized in many forums as a change agent and visionary. She has worked for several major organizations and is presently the functional lead for procurement planning, contracting, materiel and asset management for the CBSA. She has published articles dealing with strategic resourcing in the public sector more specifically for purchasing group specialists. Most recently, Jessica co-authored an article on the subject of Strategic Procurement in the Age of Deliverology, focused on a novel Strategic Procurement Delivery Model, currently being implemented at the CBSA. A speaker at national conferences for functional experts and management, Jessica is a respected, dedicated leader in the Public Sector. Jessica has delivered presentations to key assemblies such as the Government of Canada’s CFO Council, the Assistant Deputy Minister Procurement Advisory Committee, the Canadian Institute for Procurement and Material Management, and the Canadian Public Procurement Council.

Claude Miville-Dechêne is the Manager of Business Practices and Strategic Procurement at the Canada Border Services Agency since May 2016. Throughout his fifteen years of procurement experience at the Federal government, Claude has worked in both the Contracting Operations and Contracting Policy fields, with the bulk of his time being at Justice Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. A lawyer by trade, Claude possesses a great ability to share knowledge, which he often puts to use while teaching various courses for the Canada School of Public Service. His vision has led to a number of innovations in the procurement field, including various Procurement Models, work tools and policy instruments.

Blair Hurd is Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada and has over 15 years experience in the Materials Management field. Blair started his career at Industry Canada in 1998 in the warehouse at the Communications Research Centre and has gained his experience in the field of procurement and assets management over the years. Blair has worked in various modules in SAP, such as the Materials Management Module, the Plant Maintenance Module and the Assets Accounting Module of SAP and is a strong promoter of the systems capabilities.

The Acquired Services Assets Sector (ASAS) Communities Management Office welcomed Derek to the team in late 2016. With over ten years’ experience drafting asset management plans, writing policy, handling seized, abandoned and forfeited property, and managing supply chains at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Derek is a materiel management master. He devotes his time to finding ways to support the materiel management community. Derek is a professional Hockey Dad and coach and spends his spare time at hockey rinks.

Dolores joined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in 1999 after a career of 15 years with one of Canada’s top financial institutions where, she held the position of Regional Coordinator for the Administration Unit, dealing with clients, administrative staff and management. Since September 2000, Dolores has been a Senior Program Officer in the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal (PSAB) unit. She has brought a great deal of knowledge and experience dealing with both the Procurement Community, as well as Aboriginal Businesses. Her responsibilities include Promoting and Advocating on behalf of the Aboriginal Businesses, and she has continually provided guidance on many procurement needs. She also advises on applying the PSAB strategy and how it may pertain to the procurement process when dealing with Aboriginal Communities and/or Aboriginal businesses. Her focus at present is ensuring that the procurement community and Aboriginal businesses are given the knowledge and opportunities to understand and apply both the PSAB and CLCA considerations.

Session #16

Keynote Speaker – The future of the Workplace

Eric Termuende, Co-Founder & Director of The DRYVER Group

Eric Termuende is on a mission to change the way we talk about work and get fulfillment from it. A bestselling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Eric is co-founder of NoW Innovations and has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Thrive Global, the Huffington Post and many others. In 2015, Eric was recognized as a Top 100 Emerging Innovators under 35 globally by American Express. Eric sat as Community Integration Chair for Global Shapers Calgary, a community that functions under the World Economic Forum. He is a former Canadian G20 YEA Delegate, representing Canada in Sydney in 2014. Eric is currently signed by the National Speakers Bureau and travels the world talking about the future of work and multiple generations in the workplace. In 2016, Eric spoke at TEDxBCIT in Vancouver giving his presentation entitled ‘Bigger than Work’. Eric has worked and spoken with clients across the world. His new bestselling book, Rethink Work is now available on Amazon.ca and bookstores across the country.

Session #17

Advancing Provincial-Territorial Use of Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) Procurement Instruments

Sean Crossan, Director, Federal, Provincial and International Relations, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Strategic Engagement, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Sean Crossan is the Director, Federal-Provincial-Territorial and International Relations, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Acquisitions Program at Public Works and Government Services (PWGSC). He has held several Director level positions including Director, Branch Planning and Management Services, Finance and Administration Branch (2010-2015), Director PWGSC Strategic Review Team (2009-2010), Director Communities and Partnerships, HRSDC (2008-09), and Director, Financial Policy, PWGSC (2007-08). Sean is a graduate of the Accelerated Economic Training Program, the Institute on Governance, Executive Leadership Development Program and has over 25 years of experience in the federal public service. Sean is a leader in his community as he is currently President of the Cardinal Creek Community Association, he is a member of the Board of the Orleans-Cumberland Resource Centre and he is also a member of the Orleans Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee. He enjoys playing hockey and baseball and travelling with his family. Sean obtained a Co-operative Masters in Public Administration Degree from Carleton University (1992) and a Co-operative Bachelors in Environmental Studies Degree (Urban Planning) from the University of Waterloo (1988).

John Blasko is the Regional Service Line Leader, Contract Services for the National Capital Region of Defence Construction Canada (DCC). He has been with DCC for 19 years. His responsibilities include the management and quality oversight of in-country procurements related to construction, professional/technical services, facilities maintenance and goods for the Department of National Defence infrastructure and environmental related services and all out-of-country infrastructure related construction, professional/technical services and goods procurements. John is a member of the Canadian Construction Association’s National Gold Seal Committee as the Owner’s Representative and has been a member of the Ontario Association of Engineering Technicians and Technologists since 1989.

Guylaine is an engineer by training and was Director of a centre for scientific popularization before her debut as a public servant in 2000. Cumulating 15 years of experience in procurement, she has developed a true passion for this field. Guylaine has held several positions as a procurement specialist with PWGSC, Canadian Space Agency, and more recently with CIDA. She currently is the proud Director of Development Contracting Services for Global Affairs Canada.

Michelle MacDonald started her career in providing contracting advice for international development projects in 2005. In her current role as contracting policy team leader, she plays a key role in oversight and guidance related to contracting. She has a keen interest in finding the sweet spot where transparency, fairness and policy compliance lead to optimal results for the beneficiaries of international development projects.

Heather was appointed to her current position in August 2015, after having been the Director of Procurement and Contracting at the RCMP since May 2012. In her current role she is responsible for the national procurement program at the RCMP, including managing the functional direction, policy and quality assurance program, as well as the procurement team providing procurement and contracting services within the headquarters area. Prior to joining the RCMP, Heather was a contracting officer and manager at the former Public Works and Government Services Canada for a period of 11 years. She managed the telecommunications contracting division during a complex period of telecommunications deregulation, and managed large specialized procurement projects for health care requirements and health claims processing requirements. Heather started her career in procurement and contracting at National Defence in the PG training program in 1989, and worked at DND in various procurement positions until moving to PWGSC in 2000. Heather holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Manitoba and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa

Julie Lalonde has recently returned to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) as Deputy Director for Planning and Coordination, after spending 2 1Ž2 years as Manager, Procurement & Assets at the Privy Council office. Prior, she worked for 10 years with GAC in contracts, grants & contributions management. She was also a project officer for 3 years with the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a crown corporation specializing in international exporting. Julie holds a Bachelor of Commerce specializing in international management from the University of Ottawa.

Blair Hurd is Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada and has over 15 years experience in the Materials Management field. Blair started his career at Industry Canada in 1998 in the warehouse at the Communications Research Centre and has gained his experience in the field of procurement and assets management over the years. Blair has worked in various modules in SAP, such as the Materials Management Module, the Plant Maintenance Module and the Assets Accounting Module of SAP and is a strong promoter of the systems capabilities.

Allan Cutler achieved a Masters in Business Administration from Carleton University. He is the founder of Allan Cutler Consulting and in addition to his experience in supply chain management is a writer, educator, volunteer member for several professional organizations and a noted speaker and presenter

He worked for Public Works and Government Services from 1974 to 2006 in procurement and contracting and is well known as the “Whistleblower” for his role in exposing the “Sponsorship Scandal” for which he received several awards including the Queen Elizabeth !! Diamond Jubilee Medallion in 2013.

v. Common Service AgenciesCaroline Landry, Regional Director, National Capital Region, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Caroline hails from Atlantic Canada and joined the federal public service in 2000 after a lengthy career in the regional economic development field. In 2008, she moved to Ottawa to join Public Works and Government Services Canada, Acquisitions Branch. Caroline is currently an Account Executive for the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Strategic Engagement. Caroline holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Steve Johnston is the Managing Director of RFP Solutions Inc., specializing in providing procurement and fairness support to all levels of the public sector in Canada. Steve is a Fairness Specialist for Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Fairness Monitoring Program. Prior to joining RFP solutions in 2010, Steve enjoyed a career in the Federal Public Service for more than 35 years. Steve has over 30 years of experience in public sector procurement. In the last 5 years alone, he has provided Fairness Monitor and Advisory services to over 50 high profile public procurement projects, including a variety of infrastructure, capital equipment, complex services and solutions’ acquisitions, across a variety of sectors; collectively valued at over $12 Billion. Steve is the former Corporate Secretary for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (now Indigenous and Northern Affairs). As a member of the department’s Senior Executive Committee, he was responsible for providing executive support and planning to the Minister’s and Deputy Minister’s offices, as well as for the corporate management of the department’s Access to Information and Privacy and Indian and Inuit Art Centre programs. Steve established the department’s Centre for Integrity, Values and Conflict Resolution and served as Senior Integrity Officer. In this role, Steve was the Departmental liaison to the Procurement Ombudsman on fairness, and was also responsible for conducting investigations and reviews into procurement and fairness issues. Prior to his appointment as Corporate Secretary, Steve served as INAC’s Director of Administrative Services for nine years where he was responsible for a wide range of support services, including the management of the department’s $250 million plus annual procurement program and management of departmental assets and property. During this time, Steve was a very active member of the federal procurement and real property communities, serving on various interdepartmental fora. He was a member of CIPMM’s Board of Directors for many years and served both as President for three (3) terms and as past president. He was also a founding member of the Real Property Institute of Canada. In 2012, Steve received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Federal Public Service.

Since 2015, Vincent Robitaille is Executive Director - Central Agencies, Parliamentary Operations and Crown Corporations Directorate at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). He leads a team responsible for providing analysis and advice to Treasury Board Ministers on strategic resource allocation and effective program design. He is also responsible for the Center of Expertise on Crown corporations. From 2007 to 2015, he held executive positions at Public Services and Procurement Canada, Global Affairs Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Since summer 2016, Mr. Robitaille is the President of the Canadian Institute for Procurement and Materiel Management. Mr. Robitaille holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Ottawa.

Arianne Reza, Assistant Deputy Minister, Procurement

Arianne Reza joined the Acquisitions Program as Assistant Deputy Minister of Procurement on December 5, 2016. In this role, she works with the Assistant Deputy Minister of Defence and Marine Procurement in managing a team of over 1,300 employees, and in delivering an average of more than $18 billion in acquisitions for over 100 government departments and agencies. Arianne oversees the provision of comprehensive services for acquiring complex commercial goods and services. She also leads procurement projects and initiatives to support PSPC’s mission to deliver high- quality services and programs that meet the needs of federal organizations, while ensuring sound stewardship on behalf of Canadians. In addition, Arianne directs the development and implementation of the Acquisitions Program Transformation. Arianne has 20 years of experience in the federal public service. She joined us from the Canada Border Services Agency, where she held various senior management roles in regional and international operations and national border programs. In her most recent role as Director General of the Traveller Programs Directorate, she oversaw the modernization of the Agency’s suite of 25 traveller programs. Throughout her career, Arianne has held many interesting positions, including Special Advisor to the Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board and Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister and President of the Canada School of Public Service. Arianne holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Carleton University and a KPMG Business School certificate in management for women.

Mr. Masse has over thirty years of Canadian government procurement experience in progressively more responsible supply management positions. He has strong background in strategic sourcing for various goods and services as well as in major project management.

From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Masse held the position of Director General, Services and Technology Acquisition Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada, providing national leadership for the management of complex IT shared systems and software procurement projects; specialized professional services including professional consulting, auditing, translation, interpretation and informatics services; defense space projects and research and development requirements.

Since 2017, Mr. Masse has held the position of Special Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister Procurement Modernization integration Team, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, guiding the development and implementation of modernization activities.

After joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1980, Alain Duplantie completed his basic training at Depot Division (Regina) and was posted to "E" Division (British Columbia) where he spent most of his operational career assigned to various units with a focus on general investigations, serious crimes investigations, internal affairs and homicide investigations. In 2004, Alain switched gears to pursue a career in financial administration and accounting within the Force. In 2005, Alain was commissioned to the rank of Inspector, OIC Financial Control and Policy at National Headquarters. One year later, he returned to British Columbia where he was assigned to the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit as the Director of Corporate Services and Finance. In 2008, at the request of the Deputy Minister responsible for coordination of the Olympics and G8 security, while still responsible for the Olympic finance portfolio, he also took on the duties of Director of Finance for the G8/G20 Summits, a combination of Prime Minister-led summits that would take place in Huntsville and Toronto, Ontario. These two major events, both of which took place within the first six months of 2010, were the largest security deployments in the RCMP's history. Following these assignments, in the summer of 2010, Alain was transferred to Fredericton, New Brunswick, as the OIC Corporate Planning and Client Services for the Atlantic Region. One year later, he was appointed to the position of Corporate Management Officer for the Atlantic Region. In June 2012, Alain was appointed as the RCMP's Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. In his role as objective strategic advisor for business solutions, he supported the Commissioner in the achievement of departmental strategic and operational priorities by providing service excellence in the areas of financial administration, strategic investment, asset and real property management, procurement and contracting, and corporate management systems. Having completed 36 years of service, Alain retired from the RCMP at the rank of Deputy Commissioner. In April 2016, he was appointed to the position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer at Shared Services Canada (SSC). In this role, Alain is responsible for Finance, Human Resources, Procurement and Vendor Relations, the Chief Information Officer function for SSC, and the Corporate Secretariat. Alain holds a Management Systems Certificate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (1989), a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University (2000) and a Master of Business Administration from Laurentian University (2011). In 2007, he was granted the professional designation of Certified General Accountant, and is now a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants associations of Ontario and British Columbia.

Gail Bradshaw, Executive Director, Procurement Policy and ASAS Communities Management Office at TBS, has a wide range of public policy and programs experience from social, economic and environmental portfolios. Her varied career includes executive positions at Justice, PSPC, and Treasury Board Secretariat. Currently she is leading the renewal of TB policies related to procurement, an important tranche of the procurement modernization agenda.Gail graduated from Carleton University with a Master of Arts in Public Administration.

Marc has 29 years of professional experience in transportation, warehousing, distribution and operations. Marc has worked in a fast-paced, client focused environment and advance his career through strategic thinking, effective leadership, vision and strategy as well as a demonstrated initiative and the ability to engage national and international partners and stakeholders on a variety of issues. As the director of Distribution and Diplomatic Mail Services since 2013, Marc has the pleasure of leading and working with a diverse team mandated to provide a variety of logistics management services in support of GAC operations. Marc has provided guidance on transportation strategies during several crisis situations such as the 2004 tsunami in South East Asia, the earthquake in Haiti and H1N1 pandemic prevention. In an ever changing world, Marc most recently, had the challenge to transform his organisation to include the integration of materiel management operations. During his career Marc also acquired experience working in the private sector for the following companies: Coca-Cola Ltd., Sears Canada and MBNA Canada. Marc holds a Masters Certificate in Supply Chain and Logistics Management from York University and a Professional Logistician designation P.Log. from the Canadian Professional Logistics Institute.

Jean-Daniel Bourret is director of the Centre Block Procurement Directorate since its creation in May 2015 where he is responsible for the main contracts for Centre Block Rehabilitation Project. Prior to this position, Mr. Bourret was director of Materiel and Assets Management at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada from 2012 to 2015 and at Public Health Agency of Canada from 2010 to 2012, where he was also manager from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Bourret started in career in Procurement in 2003 and held various positions in Public Works and Government Services Canada from 2003 to 2008. Mr. Bourret is Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) and Certified Federal Specialist in Procurement (CFSP), he also holds a bachelor in business administration specialized in operations and logistic from Université Laval.

Nick Metaxas works in Centre Block Procurement Directorate since July 2016 where he manages the Construction Management contracting process for the Centre Block Rehabilitation Project. Prior to this position, Mr. Metaxas was Manager of Procurement and Contracts at Health Canada, responsible for First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) headquarters, from 2009 to 2016 and additionally for Public Health Agency of Canada contracting from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Metaxas started his career in Procurement in March 2004 at PWGSC, before moving to Foreign Affairs and International Trade in September 2005. He then went on to Health Canada in June 2007 where he worked in Policy, Training and Communications, until moving to the Manager position of FNIHB in July 2009. Mr. Metaxas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from McGill University, major in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Management. His private sector career from 1997-2003 was primarily in manufacturing, including the automotive sector.

Edward El-Zarka is a supply team leader working in the Centre Block Procurement Directorate since its creation in May 2015 where he is responsible for the delivery of the architectural and engineering consulting services contract as well as other services contracts for Centre Block Rehabilitation Project Prior to this position, Mr. El-Zarka was a supply team leader with Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Real Property Contracting Directorate from 2008 to 2015, and a contracting services officer with Defence Construction Canada from 2006 to 2008. Mr. El-Zarka holds a bachelor in electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa.

Claude Miville-Dechêne is the Manager of Business Practices and Strategic Procurement at the Canada Border Services Agency since May 2016. Throughout his fifteen years of procurement experience at the Federal government, Claude has worked in both the Contracting Operations and Contracting Policy fields, with the bulk of his time being at Justice Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. A lawyer by trade, Claude possesses a great ability to share knowledge, which he often puts to use while teaching various courses for the Canada School of Public Service. His vision has led to a number of innovations in the procurement field, including various Procurement Models, work tools and policy instruments.

Cédric Pilon is the Manager of Non-IT Contracting Operations at the Canada Border Services Agency. Over the course of his career, Cédric has demonstrated a mastery of the Procurement function within the Federal Government in ways that have solidified his reputation as one of the true leaders in this field. A builder in every sense of the word, Cédric not only built his own home and founded a family composed of three wonderful daughters, he’s also built an impressive network of contacts all over the Federal Government and has left a strong mark in every department he’s worked at, including Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and, more recently, the Canada Border Services Agency, where he is thriving as a Manager.

As Senior Director of the Networks, End User and Cyber Security (NEUCS) procurement team within the Procurement and Vendor Relations (PVR) directorate at Shared Services Canada (SSC), Jason Weatherbie is responsible for over 60% of acquisitions undertaken by SSC. As SSC is developing and deploying new services and their supporting procurement instruments, it is Jason and his team that are driving the sourcing and security strategies that underpin those offerings. Jason came to SSC with a breadth and depth of experience in procurement that he acquired from over a decade of service in the Acquisitions Branch at PWGSC. Jason has overseen several key procurement transformation initiatives for SSC, was instrumental in the development of the new Procure to Pay solution and led the operationalization of SSC’s new authorities that were announced through Order in Council on September 1, 2015. An avid athlete, Jason brings his competitive spirit to his work at SSC and strives to make service delivery and client satisfaction a priority for his team and the department.

Michelle joined the federal government as an FSWEP recruit 10 years ago and has worked in large organizations like DND to small ones such as Passport Canada as well as central agencies with experience in procurement and materiel management. At SSC since its inception, Michelle has led innovative procurement processes such as SSC’s first collaborative procurement for the Email Transformation Initiative and more recently SSC’s Microcomputer Procurement Service. Currently Michelle’s team is working on the new Managed Print Services procurement which will replace the existing print, scanner and toner NMSOs. She is also about to commence the process for a new Software vehicle for SSC.

Kyle is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of E-Commerce Supply Chain Management from Algonquin College. He has been working in procurement and material management for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for three years. It was his ideas that resulted in the Surplus Store that currently resides on the department's intranet.

Born and raised in Ottawa Ontario, Dale is currently the IT & Operations Manager for GCSurplus, PSPC - Public Services and Procurement Canada. GCSurplus is the only Federal Government online / closed bidding e-commerce site, selling surplus and forfeited government assets directly to the Canadian public. Dale joined the public service in 2001, after many years in the private sector working as a tradesman, mechanical draftsperson, HTML Web design instructor, to Operations management at several ISP companies. The experiences gained through private sector work, combined with 17 years’ experience within the Federal Government in delivery of IT services, have given Dale a unique perspective on the dynamic operations of this ‘one of a kind’ Federal Government’s national e-commerce environment; www.GCSurplus.ca, of which he has been with for 3 years. On the IT side, Dale manages a full IT programming team, responsible for program/maintain/update GCSurplus’ websites and applications. Dale’s operations team deals directly with day-to-day user application issues; sales center guidance and procedures, online sales QA, as well as a plethora of questions and queries from the Canadian public. Dale’s educational background includes a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology, (Algonquin College, Ottawa), and Computer Network Technology (Toronto School of Business).

Session #28 (Master Class)

Lessons in Procurement Planning

Christine Lamarche, Director, Procurement and Contracting Directorate with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Christine joined the Public Service in 1999, working part-time as an FSWEP student on the e-Purchasing Help Desk! She was bridged into the public service in 2001 and has spent her career in procurement in various roles at Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Privy Council Office, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, a 7 month assignment at Canada Border Services Agency and is now working at the RCMP. Christine graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor’s degree in Administration.

Benoit Réal, Manager, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Session #29

Social Procurement: Maximizing your Community Impact from Existing Purchasing

David Lepage, Co-founder & CEO of Buy Social Canada and co-founder of the Social Enterprise Institute

David’s is the co-founder and CEO of Buy Social Canada and a co-founder of the Social Enterprise Institute. He is the Chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada and Chair of the Social Enterprise World Forum Board. He is a Program Adjunct for the Sandermoen School of Business, facilitator for the Groundswell Social Venture Program and sits on several other boards and advisory groups, including the Vancouver Farmers Market, Ethelo Decisions, Ethelo Democracy, and Imagine Canada’s Sector Pulse. David LePage is a Principal with Accelerating Social Impact CCC. Through ASI he provides social enterprise and social value based business advice and consulting; promotes a supportive public policy environment; leads and supports several social purchasing initiatives; and advises social impact investors. His years of experience cross all dimensions of social enterprise activity, in rural and urban settings, across cultures and borders.

Nick Lukach is the Manager of Corporate Procurement Services for Natural Resources Canada. With 30 years of experience in Federal Government Procurement, he as processed contracts, reviewed and developed procurement procedures, done “performance gap” analyses in various departments, provided training in procurement and managed Contracting and Asset Management services. His experience was gained in RCMP, Health Canada, PWGSC and in private sector as he worked for a primary provider of procurement training and other related services to the Federal Government, leaving him with an understanding of both points of view: of the private sector and of the government.

Dominique has had a diverse and stimulating career. After graduating from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce and a specialization in accounting and completing the Certified Management Accountant program, she started her professional career at Loeb Inc. supervising the procurement department and next managing the franchise agreements for the IGA grocery store franchisees. Three children soon followed and Dominique turned her attention to a business venture where she would utilize her financial and management experience. Having sold the family business, Dominique joined the Public Service and held positions in the Finance Branches at Public Services and Procurement Canada and Global Affairs Canada (GAC). She now holds the position of Director General Corporate Services for the International Platform Branch at GAC. This includes directing: procurement operations both at HQ and abroad; diplomatic mail services; material management; logistics and distribution; strategic planning and reporting; financial management; and financial and HR administrative services. The variety in her portfolio and the high level of responsibility are what makes Dominique’s job so interesting. Throughout her career Dominique has and continues to contribute to her community via her positions on the Board of Directors of charitable organisations.

Heather was appointed to her current position in August 2015, after having been the Director of Procurement and Contracting at the RCMP since May 2012. In her current role she is responsible for the national procurement program at the RCMP, including managing the functional direction, policy and quality assurance program, as well as the procurement team providing procurement and contracting services within the headquarters area. Prior to joining the RCMP, Heather was a contracting officer and manager at the former Public Works and Government Services Canada for a period of 11 years. She managed the telecommunications contracting division during a complex period of telecommunications deregulation, and managed large specialized procurement projects for health care requirements and health claims processing requirements. Heather started her career in procurement and contracting at National Defence in the PG training program in 1989, and worked at DND in various procurement positions until moving to PWGSC in 2000. Heather holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Manitoba and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa.

Currently Director of Contracting of the Canada Revenue Agency. He started his career with Health Canada and moved to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans where he occupied positions of increasing responsibilities in the office of the Chief Financial Officer. In 2012 he led the transformation and centralization of the procurement services at Fisheries and Oceans. In 2013 he was appointed the Director of Materiel and Procurement Services and co-led the implementation of the Vehicle Fleet Reduction initiative and initiated the Inventory and Warehouse footprint reduction initiative.

In February 2015 he was appointed the Director of Contracting of the Canada Revenue Agency leading a team of exceptional Contracting Officers managing many complex procurement initiatives focusing on superior commodity management from the procurement planning phase to the disposal phase to better support the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) programs and business requirements.

Jean-Claude is currently leading the transformation of the Business model of the Contracting Division at CRA into an agile client-centric organization aiming at increasing the the scope of its spend influence, furthering the value delivered beyond hard-dollar savings, in part by emphasizing on-demand analytics and market intelligence, and introducing the advisory model for Supply Project Managers.

Rick Cleveland is currently SCMA's director of education and accreditation, but has been a practitioner in the field for many years before entering the world of education. Rick is a Centennial College graduate with an operations management degree, prior to the existence of Supply Chain management as a discipline. Rick began his career in retail before embarking on a lifelong learning journey in Supply Chain from entry level to Strategic planning to training. His practical experience includes managing virtually all aspects of what we now call supply chain management, including: order picking, shipping, receiving, inventory management, purchasing, transportation, customs, production planning, distribution, risk management, truck driving, customer service, importing, exporting, demand planning and network design. Among the first SCM practitioners to earn the Professional Logistician (P.Log ) designation. He has helped to build awareness of supply chain as a viable profession having held volunteer and staff positions with the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council, the Canadian Association of Logistics Management, The Canadian Professional Logistics Institute and PMAC which later merged with SCL to form SCMA. More recently, Rick turned his attention to education as a member of Panel Advisory Councils, then developing and delivering courses for George Brown College, Trios College, Eastern College, St. Lawrence University and the National Academy of Health and Business. As well as being a keynote speaker at the SCMA Symposium in 2014, Rick has also had articles published in Supply Chain Brain, Canadian Business Journal and Supply Link. Being a part of the development of the next generation of Supply Chain leaders is his dream job.

Session #32

Quantifying Value

Tim Lewis, Riverbed

Tim has spent 28 years in the IT industry in Ottawa with the majority of that time spent with Canadian owned small and medium businesses delivering solutions to the Canadian Federal Government. Half of his career was spent in various technical roles and half spent in sales and executive management. In both roles the majority of that time has been spent developing ways to articulate the unique values that various technologies and SMB solution providers, bring to government clients. The second part of that focus has been to determine how to then convert that understanding to quantifiable business measurements for consideration through the sales and procurement process. Tim has worked in active positive partnership with government procurement teams for 20 years to work towards the relentless improvement of measuring and realizing value for all parties. Tim is a founding member of CITPA, and has been a board member or an advisor to the board since its inception 12 years ago. Tim is an active participant in all of the SSC ITIR roundtable committees and has been an active engaged member since the very beginning. As an additional role under the Procurement Benchmark Advisory Committee Tim is the co-chair of SSC’s Vendor Performance Management initiative.

Session #33 (Keynote – Learn)

Keynote Speaker – Trends with Benefit

Max Valiquette, Innovation and Trends Expert

Max Valiquette helps companies, organizations, and brands find solutions to their problems by better understanding their employees, customers, and communities. Named one of Canada’s “Most Influential Marketers” by Marketing magazine, he has worked with some of the biggest brands around the world throughout the course of his career as a leading marketing and brand strategist. His varied expertise makes him one of the most sought-after public speakers on trends, innovation, marketing, and youth culture. Valiquette’s unyielding passion for thought leadership, culture, and understanding “what makes people tick” led to his award-winning career as a consumer and cultural strategist. He founded and ran Youthography, North America’s first youth-market focused research and communications firm, and is currently the VP of strategic planning at Publicis. Prior to joining Publicis, he was the Managing Director of Strategy for Bensimon Byrne. Over the course of his career, Valiquette has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world–from Nike to Budweiser to Scotiabank–and everything in between. He also held a three-year term on the Board of the Canada Media Fund, Canada’s single largest cultural production endowment. As a journalist and broadcaster, Valiquette hosted TVOntario’s weekly youth-oriented current affairs show, VoxTalk; was a frequent contributor to the internationally syndicated television programs Listed and Evolution; and has made frequent appearances as both a panelist and guest-host for the Business News Network’s daily wrap-up show, SqueezePlay. He can be heard every two weeks as a “Round One” panelist on Moore in the Morning, and every month on AM1010’s weekly radio rewind, Viewpoints. Valiquette has appeared on the CBC’s Lang and O’Leary Exchange, written and delivered columns for CBC Radio’s Day One, and appeared on Q and The Current. He also writes for the pages of Canadian Business, Marketing, and Strategy magazines. His insights and opinions have been featured in The Financial Post and The Globe and Mail; on NPR and MuchMusic; and in scores of other media outlets. Valiquette holds a BA from the University of Ottawa, is a former Central Canadian Debating Champion, and has performed, as a sketch comedian, on the main stage at Second City Toronto.